


maybe he’s just the one you need

by mysilenceknot



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:46:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15002156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysilenceknot/pseuds/mysilenceknot
Summary: It’s almost noon on a Saturday and Chuck has absolutely no clue how he got to his room.





	maybe he’s just the one you need

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written Chuck fic before which is a darn shame considering how invested in the show I've been for the last decade. Thanks to Ki for inspiring this fic. Title comes from [17 Magazine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEId9OOcQc) by Relient K.

Chuck wakes up in bed, fully clothed. He sits up, rubbing one of his hands over is eyes. It’s almost noon on a Saturday and Chuck has absolutely no clue how he got to his room. In fact, most of last night was a foggy memory. Hanging around in the building’s lounge somehow turned into playing games in the lounge which turned into everyone moving off campus to Stephen’s apartment for drinks… which turned into the massive headache behind Chuck’s eyes. With a groan, he gets up to rinse his mouth out with mouthwash and grab something to eat. 

When he eventually feels washed up just enough to not feel like complete trash, he crashes on the couch, eating buttered toast and drinking some very artificial fruit beverages. He sighs, closing his eyes once more. The last thing he remembered was sitting and talking to Bryce. They’d actually gotten into a pretty serious conversation, considering everything that was happening around them. They talked about the future, sharing half formed plans that felt almost unattainable. And Chuck remembered looking into glassy blue eyes, willing them to be part of his future but knowing how impossible and dangerous it would be.

With a sigh, Chuck walks to the computer to send Bryce a private message in the system they’d coded. Maybe he'd know how the night ended.

 

* * *

 

Chuck wakes up in bed and covers his face with a pillow. He’d set an early alarm with the intent of waking up in time to cram in a little more studying before the 8 am linear algebra exam he absolutely was going to fail. The gentle ticking of his clock is soothing and makes Chuck want to sink into his bed forever. Fuck algebra, fuck his entire major, fuck college. All he needs in life is a soft bed, a soft pillow, and a soft blanket.

Unfortunately, Chuck thought as he finally sat up, he was spending too much money to simply throw it all away into his Stanford career. Plus, no matter how miserable the class made him, he needed a passing grade to go towards his requirements. He groans and stretches, beginning to prepare for the day.

It’s not until he’s washing his face that he realizes something’s off. His left cheek is completely smooth. Normally pre-exam nights ended with his face down in a textbook - or a notebook - which resulted in imprints on his cheek, a sore neck, and a strained back. The sheer exhaustion of studying resulted in a crash but Chuck was used to it, accepted it as part of the process. (Morgan had once joked that it helped Chuck absorb the information better). But with midterms and an absolutely awful exam approaching, there was no way he could think too much about how he’d convinced himself to climb under the covers.

 

* * *

 

Chuck wakes up in bed with a killer headache. His eyes hurt. It’s 8:30 pm. A few seconds pass before the wave of sadness rushes back over. It was the anniversary of his mom’s disappearance. Usually the day moved rather smoothly - it had to, it’d been years, they had to keep pushing - but this year was hard.

He’d gotten a letter from his dad earlier in the week and despite his better judgement he read it. The letter was hard to understand, which made Chuck’s soul ache. His dad was continuing to slip away, reminding Chuck that he and Ellie were the only family they had left, the only family they could rely on. The day took a turn for the worse as the weather grew sour and the lectures became progressively aggravating. 

Bruce was the friend he tried not to talk to when his sadness pushed so close to the surface. Unfortunately, Bryce had run into him before Chuck could slip into his dorm unnoticed. So Bryce asked him what was wrong, Chuck started crying, Bryce took him into his dorm and listened as Chuck poured his heart out on the couch. At one point he was on the verge of hyperventilating, but Bryce pulled him into a tight embrace. Chuck continued crying. From there, he’d tired himself out. Bryce got him a glass of water and said goodbye while Chuck settled into the couch for a nap.

How did he get from his couch to his bed?

 

* * *

 

Chuck wakes up with a startle. He’s being moved but he’s not walking… there’s a pause in movement before the moving begins again. When he finally blinks his eyes open he looks up and sees Bryce looking down at him. Bryce looks almost apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” Bryce says. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He stops and leans to let Chuck walk on his own two feet but instead Chuck clutches his hoodie tighter. A quick flash of shock spreads through is face. He takes the hint, however, and continues carrying Chuck until they’ve reached Chuck’s dorm room.

Chuck steps down; Bryce looks around with his hands in his pocket. “It’s been you the entire time.”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Bryce opens his mouth as if to explain and Chuck lifts a finger. “No excuses.”

It’s a few seconds until Bryce manages to explain.

“You’re beautiful, Chuck. That’s not why it started, I really wanted you to get some good sleep, but you’re beautiful. And I feel like this is the only time it would be safe to admire you.”

Chuck takes half a step back in shock; Bryce’s face begins to fall. “Oh no, Bryce. I didn’t mean -”

“It’s okay,” Bryce says calmly.

“No, I mean.” Chuck pauses before stepping back forward to close the distance between them. The first kiss is short. The second kiss is longer: still soft and slow but longer. Bryce broke the kiss.

“Okay,” he says.

“Okay,” Chuck says.

“I guess… we’ll talk about this in the morning?”

Chuck feels his heart racing because yes, they would have to talk about a lot of things in the morning, but for now? “Will you sleep with me? I mean, not have sex, that’s not what I meant to say. I just mean sleep in the same bed. If you’re okay with that.”

Bryce gives him a warm genuine smile and laugh. “Your bed looks comfortable as hell.”

“It is and I’m glad to have been able to experience it a little more.”

Bryce kicks off his shoes before extending his hand. Chuck takes it back.

 

* * *

 

Chuck wakes up in bed. He feels the warmth of Bryce next to him. He falls back asleep.


End file.
